Machine for operating on welts.



PATENTED DEG. 31, 1907. J. B. HADAWAY. MAGHINE FOR OPERATING 0N WELTS.

' APPLICATION rum) 0OT.1 9,1903.

B SHEBTE-SHEBT 1.

PATENTED DEC. 31

- J. "B. HADAWAY, MACHINE FOROPERATING 0N WEI-TS.

APPLICATION FILED 001219, 1903. 3 SHEETS sHEET 2 '1N'0.8'7 3,171. PATENTED DEG.31,1907. J. B. HApAWAY.

MACHINE FOR OPERATING 0N WELTS' APPLIOATIOH FILHD'0OT.19, 1903.

'wmsaaa snare-sum s.

UNITED bTATEb PATEN T OFFTCE.

JOHN B. HADAWAY, OF BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNO'R TO UNITED SHOE- MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON', NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON WELTS.

Patented Dec. 31', 1907.

Application filed October 19. 1903- Serial No. 177.557.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jon-n B. HADAWAY, a citizen of the- United States, residing at Brockton, in the county-of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Operating on Welts; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,

,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to machines for operating upon welts of. boots and shoes.

In the manufacture of a welted boot or shoe the welt after being sewed to the upper and insole is subjected to a-beatingout operation to cause it to lie in substantially the plane of the insole. Before the beating out operat-ibn, the outer and inner edges of the welt are of the same length, and in order to cause the welt to lie in the plane of the insole the outer edge must be stretched considerably. To accomplish this result it is necessary to subject certain portions ofthe welt and especially the portion at the toe of the shoe to the action of the instrumen-' talities of the welt beating out machine a number of times, and in many lnstances to slit the welt at the toe portion of the sh.oe,.

the toe portion of the shoe, and in case the slits in the welt are not made deep enough or. are not properly spaced the welt at the toe portion of the shoe is often left thick enough to form abunch on the sole of the completed shoe.

' The object of the present invention is to provide a machine for operating upon the welts of welted shoes comprising means for automatically slitting the welt so that the beating out operation can be quickly erformed without any special care or skil on the part of the operator and without nar- I rowing or thickening the welt at the toe POT-r tion of the shoe.

The invention is intended primarily as an improvement in welt beating outmachines and is embodied in its preferred form in aa machine comprising means for beating out the welt. 4

In carrying out the present invention, a machine has been provided comprising a welt beatin hammer, a eand means for" actuating t e knife and hammer to-slit and beat out the welt.

out of the welt can thus be performed by.

subjecting the welt to the operation of a single machine and this work can be erformed more rapidly than hashereto ore' been possible. The knife automatically forms slits in the welt which are of uniform The slitting and beating depth and prepiares the welt so thatit is easily and quic ly beaten out by the hammer, it being unnecessary to subject any portion of the welt to the action of the welt 4 beating hammer repeatedly as has heretofore been necessary. Also the strain on the outer edge of the welt at the toe portion of the shoe is relieved and this 'ortion of the welt is not narrowed or thic ened by the beating outoperation.

Itis believed that in carrying out the present invention the first machine for operating upon a welted boot or shoe has been produced which comprises means for beating out the welt and means for forming in the Welt a series of slits extending partially through the thickness of the welt, and while in the drawings accompanying this application this feature of the invention is illustrated as embodied in a machine provided with a welt beating hammer for beating out the welt and with an independently operated knife for slitting the welt, which machine possesses advantages which will be obvious to those skilled in the art and constitutes the most perfect and eflicient embodiment of'the invention that has yet been devised, this feature of the invention in its broader aspects contemplates the combination of welt beat-- ing means and means for forming in the Welt a series of slits extending partially through the thickness of the welt regardless of the' terattachment to the shoe has been produced which comprises means for supporting the welt, means for beating out the welt, and means for slitting the welt constructed and arranged to allow the shoe to be moved to present successive portions of the welt to the beating out and slitting means, and it is therefore considered. that a feature of the invention consists in a machine for operating upon the welts of welted shoes comprising these instrumentalities. I

Preferably the Welt slitting knife or knives will be arrangedto form in the welt slits extending partially-through the weltafrom one surface towards the other obliquely disposed to the surface of the welt, as thereby more of the material of the welt is out than is the-case when the knife or knives are arranged to form slitsextending at right angles to the surface of the welt and the welt is more easily beaten out by the hammer. Also the stretch.- ing of the Welt does not widen the slits to form slots in the welt, the portions of the welt on each side of the other as the welt stretches without widening the slits. This arrangement of the welt slitting knife or knives is believed to be broadly new and it is therefore considered that a feature of the invention consists broadly in the combination of means for supporting the weltof a welted shoe and means for forming in the welt a series of slits extending partially across the welt and partially through I thewelt from one surface toward the other and obliquely disposed to the surface of the welt.

It is necessary that the slits extend only partially through the welt as otherwise they would appear upon the upper or grain side of the welt and mar its appearance in the completed shoe. In this connection it may be said, however, that if desired the slits may extend completely through the welt at the extreme outer edge of the welt as this portion of the welt is trimmed off in finishing the shoe, and such a form of slit is considered as being within the purview of the invention and included in the expression slits extending artially through the welt T is only portion of the welt of a welted shoe which it is necessary'to slit in order to allow the welt to be beaten out flat is that portion at the toe of theshoe, it bein unnecessary and undesirable to provide the other portions of the welt with slits. The machine in which the present invention has been embodied is accordingly provided with means 'wherebythe welt shtting knife'can be thrown into and out of operation and elite formed at any desired portion of the welt and omitted at other portions at the will of the operator.

slits" sliding over each of operations of the machine when thewelt beating hammer is in contact with the welt:

- to be moved to present successive portions of the projecting edge of the welt tothe slitting r means, with means for throwing the welt slit-' ting means into and out of operation. It is also considered that a feature of the inven-. tion consists in providing a machine compris' i-ng meansfor beating out the welt,means for slitting the welt and a work-support, such as above referred to, with means for throwing the welt slitting. means into and out of oera'- tion during the continued operation 0 the welt beating means.

In the machine in which the present invention has been embodied, the welt slitting knife is arranged to reciprocate transversely across the weltin substantially the plane of the welt and to make its welt'slitting stroke while the welt is clamped between the welt beating hammer and the work-support. The hammer of a welt beating machine is'vibrated at an extremely high rate of speed,' the hammer of the machine in whichir the present invention has been 'jembodiedbeing" 9,5 vibrated at'the rate of approximatelyj2,0'00" beats er minute. In order to enabl'ethef welt slitting knife to make its welt slitting stroke while thewelt is clamped-between. the hammer and the welt support without imparting to, the knife jan' exceedinglyra id movement, 'which wouldv impose .sud en strains upon the machine and impair its du-' rability and interfere with its successful operation, the' welt slitting stroke of theknife is divided upinto a series of stepsextended over a plurality, of'strokes of th'e'hamin'er, the advancing movements of the knife occurring during the successivetimes during the cycle a 110 Since the advancing movements of the knife occur during-successive beats of the hammer, the complete cutting stroke 'of the knife is performed in such a short interval of time that the o erator will not sensibly move the shoe and t ereby change its position during the time the complete cutting movement of the knife is taking place. An operator soon learns to suit the feed movements imparted 120 by himi to the shoe to the motion of the slitting knife, and unconsciously holds the shoe stationary during the time a slit is being out in the welt. The knife is withdrawn from the welt by a continuous movement and remains out of contact with the welt during a plurality of beats of the hammer, the time during which the knife remains out of contact with the welt being suflicient to allow the operatorito feed the shoe the desired dis i3 0 welt during a plurality of .beats of the harntance beneath the hammer so that the slits arms somewhat so that the new block could are located upon the welt the required distance apart. This manner of actuating the welt slittin knife so that it makes its welt slitting stro *e in a series of steps during the operation of the welt beating hammer is considered to be a feature of the present inven tion and also the manner of operating the knife by which it is caused to cut a slit in the welt and then remain out of contactwith the mer.

In addition to the features of invention above referred to the present invention also con'sistsin certain devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed, the advantages of which will be obviousto-those skilled in the art'frorn the following description.

The various features of the present invention will be clearly understood from an inspection of the accompanying drawings illus trating the preferred form of the same, in whic I Figure 1 is a side elevation of a welt beating and slitting machine, Fig. 2 is a-front elevation, and Fig. 3 is a-plan.

' The illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a welt beating hammer 1 having a cavit' 2 cut in its face to permit the ac-,

cess of the mife to the welt while under compression by the hammer, the said hammer being mounted upon the shank 3 carried by the hammer lever of the machine. A spring- 4 received within the head of the hammer lever engages a shoulder on the hammer and. normally operates to move the hammer to the limit of its downward movement determined by the adjustable stop collar 5 which consists of a split nut screwed upon the shank 3 of the hammer. The hammer '1 is pre vented from turning in the head of the hammer lever by a spline and groove connection. The hammer lever 6 intermediate its ends carries the short shaft 7 which is received within journals 8 affording a pivotal'support therefor, the journals 8 being mounted upon the frame 9 of the machine.

The rear end of the hammer lever is forked and receives within the fork the block 10 carried by the eccentrio 11 upon the-main shaft 12 of the ma.

chine. The forked end of the hammer lever 6 is made adjustable to takeup wear by pro.-

viding the bolt 13 bymeans of which the two ends otthe'fork' may be drawn toward each other and secured in place by nuts thereon.

Another-bolt .14 is provided by means of.

which twd'forks 'maybe separated if desired. Oc asion for adjustment of the fork. of the hammer lever would arise-when the faces of the arms or the block 10or both had become worn which wearwould be taken. up. by

tightening the boltj13, or in case a new block 10 was inserted in the'machine theseparat .ing bolt 14 would. be i sed-tozseparate the be inserted and accurately fitted between the two arms of the fork. It is especially important in machines intended to operate at extremely high speed, as in the present machine, that there should be the least possible backlash and therefore these adjustments are of practical value. 1

j A work support 15 is provided which is projected from a body 16 secured by tongue and groove connections to the forwardly projected knee 17 from the frame 9 of the machine. The forward end of the work sup port is shaped to enter the crease between the upper and the'welt of a welted shoe and to support the welt 011 its upper surface, the.

forward end of the work support by contact with the bottom of the crease between the upper and the welt serving as a guide for the shoe being operated upon. The knee 17 is slotted at 18 and receives the bolt 19 by means of which the work table 15 is secured in place, the said bolt passing through the slot and screwing into the said work table thereabove. By this means the work table may be adjusted forward and back to bring it to proper coi'iperative relation with the hammer 1 j The welt slitting knife 20 is supported the knife carrier 21 being held within the holder 22-mounted upon the forward end of the said knife carrier. The knife is dovetailed in cross-section and the knife holder 22 is slotted, referring particularly to 1]. 2,

so that the knife may be clamped by/tlie bolt 23 and held in. adjusted position. The knife .carrier 21 is mounted to reciprocate in a guideway one plate 24' secured to the frame of the machine. Upon its rear end the knife carrier is provided with a slide block 25 mounted upon the stud 25 secured in the said carrier 21 and said block 25 engages a groove 27 in the upper end of the knife actuating lever 28, which is pivoted at 29 upon astationary part of the machine and carries a cam roll 30 which engages a cam path 3]. in the cam disk 32 mounted upon a stud 33 projected rearwardly from the frame of the machine. The arrangement-ofthe knife 20'and carrier 21 is such that the knife reciprocates transversely to the line of feed in substan tiallythe blade of tie knife is so arranged with rela tion to the upper surface of the work support 15 upon which the welt is supported thatthe slitsfornied in thewelt by the knife extend partially through the welt from one surface towards the other and are obliquely disposed to the surface of the welt.

the. depth of the slits the knife 20 is adjusted In order to vary vertjcallyand as a means for effecting such adjustment the plate 24 in which the carrier 21 is mounted is' provided with a guide groove which is engaged. bya guiding'prd jection on the frame of the machine "and is laneof the welt and the cutting 45 slits may be formed at any desired portions also provided with slots, the lower of which is arranged vertically and the upper of which is arranged horizontally. Through the lower of these slots a bolt 54 passes and screws into the frame of the machine. upper slot a similar bolt 55 passes and screws into the frame of the machine, and upon this bolt is rotatably mounted an eccentric 56, which engages the upper and lower edges of the slot. The plate 24 is clamped to the frame by means of the bolts 54 and 55 and by loosening the bolts and rotating the eccentric 56 the late can be raised or lowered to gdjupt the linife to cut slits of any desired he cam disk 32 is rotated froma worm- Wheel 34 which is driven from the worm 35 1 mounted upon the main shaft 12 of the machine. As is clearly shown in Fig. 1, the cam path 31 of the cam disk 32 is formed to advance the welt slitting knife to cut a slit in the welt in three steps and then to withdraw the knife at one step and hold it withdrawn during a plurality of beats of the welt beating hammer. The rotation of the cam disk is so timed with relation to the rotation of the eccentric 11 on the shaft 12 and the shape of the cam path 31 is such'that the forward steps of the welt slitting knife take place dur- 'place during three' beats of the hammer and the knife is then withdrawn and held out of contact with the welt for a sufficient length of time to enable the operator to move the shoe a suflicient distance to cause the slits to be 1spaced the required distance apart on the we t.

In order to allow the welt slitting knife to be thrown into and out of operation so that of the welt and omitted at other portions at the will of the operator, the machine illus trated in the drawings is provided with means whereby the cam disk 32 can be clutched to the worm-wheel 34 so as to rotate therewith or be uniclutched therefrom and held stationary during the continued rotation of the worm-wheel. The illustrated means employed. for this purpose is described as follows :-The worm wheel is provided with a segmental slot in the lateral face adjacent to the cam which is adapted to receive the clutch bolt 36 which is slidingly mounted in a hole in the cam disk. The head 37 of the clutch bolt 36 has a portion which fits the housing 38 which supports the stud so that the said bolt is held from rotation with secured'to the cam by a screw 40 and hav- Through the tion of the said washers thereon.

ing'one end in engagement with the pin 41 projecting from the bolt normally tends to I said gear to drive the cam. The worm wheel H 34 ismounted upon the hub 42 of the c" disk 32 and is freely revoluble thereon, egrecept when the clutch bolt 37 is moved to the right so as to couple the cam, disk and worm.

wheel together. A collar 43 screwed on the end of the hub 42 serves to hold the worm wheel in place thereon. Friction washers 44, 45 are mounted upon the stud 33 and en,- gage the said'collar 43 and front face of the cam disk 32 respectively, and pressure may be exerted upon these Washers by means of the collar 46 and set nuts 47 and 48. When the clutch is open the friction of these Washers brings the cam immediately to rest,-'the worm wheel still continuing to rotate. When the clutch is closed the cam disk and worm wheel rotate together, overcomin the friceans are provided for withdrawing the clutch bolt 36' a.

a chain 52 connected with a foot treadle.

The rear endof the lever 49 carries a wedge 53 which is tapered at one end and is extended in the arc of a circle around the center of the stud 33 so that when permitted to rise to the position shown in the drawings it operates to engage the head of the clutch bolt 36 and withdraw it from engagement with the worm wheel. After the clutch bolt 36 is withdrawn by the wedge '53 the head 37 of the clutch bolt rides along the surface of the said wedge, whereby time is given for the cam disk to come to rest and the clutch bolt is maintained in its retracted position.

The operation of the machine will be apparent from the description given above, it being understood that the shoe is moved. by the operator to present successive portions of the welt to the action of the welt beating hammer and to the action of the welt slitting knife when said knife is in operation, and that the mechanism for actuating. the welt slitting knife is thrown into operatlon by the operator when the toe portion of the welt is reached, and is thrown out of operation as soon as this portion of the welt has been beaten out. The slits formed in the welt by the slitting knife extend through that portion of the welt which would otherwise resist the strain to which the welt is subjected during and means for simultaneously forming in the welt a series of slits extending partially through the thickness of'the welt, substantially as described.

'to the shoe, a'welt slitting knife arranged to so with a cutting edge shaped to cut a slit in the 2. A machine for operating upon welts, having, in combination, a work support sha ed tosupport the welt after attachment to t e shoe, a vibrating welt beating hammer, means for actuating the hammer to. beat out the welt, and means for simultaneously slitting the welt, substantially as described.

3. A machine for operating upon welts, having, in combination, a work support shaped to support the welt after attachment reciprocate transversely across the welt in substantially the plane of the welt provided welt extending partially through the thickness of the welt, and means for actuating the Welt slittin knife, substantially fiSdBSCIlbGCl.

4. Amac i'ne for operating uponwelts, hava ing, in combination, a'welt beating hammer, a work support shaped to support the welt after attachment to the shoe, a welt slitting knife, and means for \actuating the hammer and knife arranged to impart to the hammer a plurality of welt beating movement's while the knife is out of engagementwith the welt, substantially as described.

5.. machine for operating upon welts, having, in combination, a welt beating hammer, a work support shaped to support the welt'after attachment to the shoe, a welt islitting knife, means for actuating the hammer, and means for actuating the knife arranged to impart a welt cutting stroke to the knife while the'welt is clamped between the hammer and work support and hold the knife out of engagement with the welt during a plurality of welt beating movements of the hammer, substantially as described.

6. A machine for operating upon welts,

having, in combination, a welt beating hammer, means for actuating the same to beat out the welt, a' work sup ort'shapedto support the welt after attac ment tothe shoe, a welt slitting knife arran ed .to reciprocate transversely across the We t in substantially the plane of the. welt provided with avcutting edge shaped to cut a slit in the welt extending partially therethrough and obliquely I mer, a work support shaped to'support the welt after attachment to the shoe, a welt slitting knife, arranged to cut aslit in the Welt extending partially through the thickness of the same, and means for actuating the hammer and knife, substantially as described.

8. A machine for operating upon welts, having, in combination, a work support shaped to support the welt after attachment to the shoe, a welt slitting knife arranged to reciprocate transversely across the welt provided with acutting edge. shaped to cut a slit in the welt, extending partially therethrough and obliquely disposed to the surface of t e 'Welt,-and means for actuating the knife, substantially as described.

9. A machine for operating upon welts, having, in combination, means for supporting the welt after attachment to the shoe, and means for formin in the welt a series of slits extending partia ly across the welt and partially through the thickness of the same and obliquely disposed to the surface of the welt, substantially as described.

'10. A machine for operating upon welts, having, in combination, a welt slitting knife arranged to reciprocate transversely across the welt, a welt beating hammer provided with a recess to receive the knife, 9. work support shaped to support the welt after attachment to the shoe, and means for actuating the hammer and knife, substantially as described.

11. A machine for operating upon welts,

having, in combination, a welt beating hammer, means for actuating the same to beat out the welt, a work support shaped to support the welt after attachment to the shoe, a welt slitting knife arranged to cut a slit in the welt extending partially through the thickness of the same, and means for actuating the knife to slit the welt'while the welt is clamped .between the hammer and work support, sub- 13. A machine for operating. upon welts,

having, in combination, welt beating means, 1 welt slitting means, and a work sup 'ort shaped to support the projecting edge of the welt after attachment to the shoe and allow.

,havin in combination, a wor shape to support the welt after attachment to the shoe, and means for forming in the -welt a. series -of slits extending partially,

through the thickness of the same and obli uely dis osed to the surface of the welt, su stantia ly as described.

15. A machine for operating u v on welts, having, in combination, a wor support shaped to support the welt after attachment to the shoe, a vibratin -welt beating hammer, a welt slitting knife, means foractuating the hammer'to beat out the welt, and means for actuating the knife to slit'the welt, substantially as described.

16; A- machine for operating upon welts having, in combination, means for beating out the welt after attachmentto the shoe, means for slitting the welt, and means for throwing the welt slitting means into and out of o erati'on during the continued operation of t e welt beating means, substantially as described.

' 17. A machine for operating upon welts, havin in combination, welt heating means, welt sitting means,'a work support shaped to support the projecting edge of the welt after attachment to the shoe and allow the shoe to be moved. to present successive portions of the projecting ed e of the welt to the welt beatin and welt sitting means, and means for t owing the welt slitting means into and out of operation during the continued operation of the welt beating means,

substantially as described.

I 18. A machine for operatin upon welts,

having, in combination,-'a welt eating ham mer arran ed to act on the welt after attach ment to the shoe, means for actuating the hammer and welt slittin -means operating to make a single slit in the welt during the time a plurality of blows of the hammer are taking place, substantially as described.

19. A machine for operating upon welts, having, in combination, a welt beating hammer arran ed to act on the welt after attachment to the shoe, and 'welt slitting means operating to make a single cut' in the welt by a plurality of forward steps, substantially as described.

- 20. A machine for operating upon welts,

having, in combination, a welt beating hammer arra ed to act on the welt after attachment to t e shoe, a reciprocating welt slitting knife, and means for, advancing the knife to make a single cut in the welt by a plurality of forward steps, substantially as 'describ d.

21. A machine for operatin upon: welts, having, combination, a welt eating hamsupport mer arranged to act on the welt after attachthe knife being timed'to-take place while the hammer is in contact with the welt, substantially as described.

' 22. A machine for operating upon welts, having, in combination, awelt beati hammer arra'n ed to act on the welt after attachment tot e shoe, welt slittin means, and means for throwing the weltsitting means into and'out of operation during the continued operation of the'hammer, substan-' tially as described.

substantially as described.

24." A machine for operating upon welts,

having, in combination, a welt beati hammer arra ting knife, and means for throwing the welt slitting knife into and out of operation durthe hammer,

mg) the continued operation of su stantially as described.

25. A machine for operating upon welts,

having, in combination, welt heating means arranged to act on the welt after attachment to the shoe, a reciprocating welt slitting knife, means for advancing the knife to make a single cut in the welt by a plurality of forward steps and means for throwing the welt slitting means into and out of operation during the continued operation of the-welt heating means, substantially as described.

' 26. A machine for operatin' upon welts, having, in combination, a welteati hammerarranged to act on the welt after attachment to the shoe, a reciprocatin welt slittin knife, means for advancing tie knife to ma 'e' a single cut in the welt by. a plurality of forward steps, each forward movement of arranged to act on the welt after'attachment to the shoe, a reciprocating welt slitting knife, mechanism for actuating the knife and machine for operating uponwelts, having, in combination,.welt beating means arranged to act on the welt afterattachment' to the shoe, a reciprocating welt slitting knife, .and means for throwing the welt slitting knife into and out-0f operation during'the continued operation. .of the heating means,

ed to act on the welt after attach- I ment to t e shoe, a reciprocatingwelt slita clutch forthrowing said mechanism into and out of operation, substantially'as described.

28. A machine for operating ufp'on welts, having, in combmatlon, means 0 r slitting seem 27 a welt, a work support shaped. to support the work support while the Welt slitting means 10 welt after :Lttaehmept to the sloe, an i means 1s out of operatlon, substantlally as dei'or thromng the welt shttmg means mto and scribed.

out of operation, the welt slitting means and l In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, work support being constructed. and erin presence of two witnesses.

ranged to permit the shoe to be moved to JOHN B. HADAVVAY. present successive portions of the projecting Witnesses:

edge of the melt to the slitting means, and HORACE VAN EVEBEN,

also to permit the welt to be moved overthe FARNUM F. DORSEY. 

